DeKalb’s Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice will conduct a rally Friday against U.S. involvement in Iraq to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Iraq.

It will be part of nationwide protests and vigils that are being held on the year anniversary, said Interfaith Coordinator Jenny Tomkins.

“In a democracy it’s our duty to express our opinions,” Tomkins said. “It’s important that people stand up for what they believe.”

The demonstration and vigil, called “DeKalb still says no to war in Iraq,” will be held at 5 p.m. Friday at the corner of First Street and Lincoln Highway. In addition to waving flags and signs in protest, there also will be music and special speakers, including Rosemarie Slavenas, whose son, Brian, of Genoa, was killed in Iraq last fall.

After about an hour outside, the group will move indoors to the First Congregational Church, 615 N. First St., where speakers will continue and a light supper will be served.

The event is an excellent chance for people to come and speak their minds and a time of remembrance, Tomkins said.

“With our troops mired down in Iraq a year later, with the situation in Afghanistan still precarious, and with the government sacrificing vital domestic programs and rights to effect regime change abroad, we continue to decry the unnecessary and costly war in Iraq,” Tomkins said.